goldenline
Free Member
We left our home in Port Grimaud on 27th march heading for our 2 month stay in spain ( destination Tarragona) our first stop was an overnight at Palavas les flots. Next morning heading down the A9 we had just left the last peage and started the climb up to the spanish border when there was a loud bang from the front end of the van, fortuantely we were only a couple of hundred meteres away from a layby with an sos box. We were collected from the layby by a breakdown truck driven by william who took us to his garage compound. Being saturday nobody was working so provided us with lecce and water, on monday we find the problem is seized wheel bearings ( changed last september by a garage where we live who we will be talking to when we get home). The story continues the bearings were ordered but when they started to change them they found the housing was damaged and needed to be replaced so this was ordered at Fiat in Perpignan and we were told there would be a weeks wait up until now we we had spent 2 nights in a hotel in in Ceret a beautiful little town near le boulou just off the A 9 ( definitley worth the visit) and 2 nights in Perpignan ( ok but not our cup of tea). So we moved back to the van in the garage compound awaiting the parts. William who has been amazing in helping us has tried to hurry fiat on delivery only to be told last friday the part is discontinued!!!! Well after the intial shock we tried fiat in england and were told the same thing. Plan B we tried breakers yards in england and have sourced the parts which at this moment are sitting in a dhl compound in Lyon hopefully to be delivered tomorrow. This after 4 weeks would seem to be a moan but in fact we have quite enjoyed this area and met some really nice people and would reccomend Ceret for a visit as it is a beautiful place. Hopefully we will be on our way by tomorrow evening on our way to park plya bara near Tarragona if not it is off to Ceret saturday market to see the lady on the english book stall and another weekend in our own private campsite.